Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-06-30
TEXAS RANGERS.
The soldterSherins Who Protect the
Frontier Criminals Pushed over the

The soldier-Sherins Who Protect the
Frontier Criminals Pushed over the
Line.
or the whole frontier line separating the re.
public of the United States from the republic
OF Mexico there Is no portion better policed
than that which extends from the Gulf OF
Mexico to FL Paso, Tex. This is In a great
measure due to the fact that from the gulf To
this little southwestern town the boundary
between the two republics is a natural one,
formed by the muddy stream of the Rio
Grande. But more especially is the security
of this part OF the border due TO the courage
Gus and untiring efforts OF that portion of the
state troops Of Texas known as the Texas
rangers. There has not been period IN the
history of Texas with which the romantic
name Of rangers has not been more or less in
timately connected. They were rangers who
fought against Santa Ana, and who fell IN the
desperate conflict at the Alamo, and 1t WIS
dying rangers who bequeathed to their chill
dren the task OF vengence which still inspires
the Texan in every border conf ct with the
rallying cry: Remember the Alamo"
The corps of rangers formed part Of the
''ONPo 'hHh iouShb thc uulOu
the civil war, and, indeed, they were the nu-
eieus around which gathered and were dis
ciplined the wild frontier men of Texas who
were, under Gen. kirby Smith, the last to lay
down their arms, long after Gen. Robert T.
Lee had surrendered his sword to Grant. II
seems strange that though Texas was the last
of all the states to submit she really suffered
so little. Texas to-day owns her public lands
and her mineral wealth is not controlled By
the general mining law OF the country. More
over, she has to-day, as In older times, her
corps OF rangers, solely controlled by the state
and yet maintained In active military service.
This is unique privilege and one which no
other state in the union enjoys.
There did not for some years after the war
and during the reconstruction period, exist
any state force in Texas, and the present
organization OF rangers came into being in
1874, when Gov. Richard Coke was in office.
The whole force at the present does not mum
Der more than $50 men, yet it has been found
amply sufficient to thoroughly police the
frontier.
Texas ranger, strange though 1t may APP
pear, is not usually Texan by birth. The
rangers come from every part OF the union,
and quite a number of them are young adj
venturers eastern boys Of good families. 1t
Is impossible for poor man to join this state
force. He must have, as a preliminary to en-
llstment, horse OF his own, a Winchester
rifle, all the necessities for camping out,
and about 500 invested in his outfit He
joins for period OF six months and receives
$50 a month for his services and sll for ration
for his horse. The state provides him with
all the ammunition he may care TO fire away,
ard under such circumstances II is needless to
say that every ranger is a dead shot, both
with rifle and revolver A corporal receives
S35 month, a sergeant $50 month"; lieu
tenant S'5 and allowance for two horses, a
captain 500 month and allowance for two
horses. There is no higher rank in the rang
ers than captain, though when two or three
are together the senior captain is
commander
The Texas ranger Is a curious compound of
a soldier and a police officer. He is state
police officer and soldier at the same time
In the former capacity he performs the duties
OF deputy sheriff in every county in the
state, aud Is authorized to arrest fugitves
from justice without warrant A list Of
these fugitives is furnished from time 10 time
TO every ranger, together with their de-
scriptions, and 1t is his duty to commit it to
The services that this body OF state
troops has rendered Texas are incalculable.
While all New Mexico and Arizona have
been for years past overrun by hostile Apach-
es, the frontier Of Texas has never suffered.
The manner in which the rangers utterly ex.
terminated the Lpans and Kickapoos, as
oil tha ,,aI,a 4.
Apaches and Navajoes not to cross the Rio
Grande where 1t borders on the Lone Star
state.
An example Of the manner in which border |
officers dispense with the nice formalities of |
extradition papers is furnished by the tacit |
agreement which exists between the Mexican |
officers at Paso del Norte, Mexico, and the |
rangers in Ell Paso, Tex. When the rangers |
know that the man they want is In the neigh
1orhood OF the Mexican town they 90 over :
md inform the chief of police that they want |
such man. The Mexican police arrest him
'n some trivial charge or no charge at all.
lhey bring the prisoner TO the middle OF the
'treetcar bridge, where an imaginary line
iivides the United States from Mexico. The
Texas officers meet them half way. The
Mexican officers give the unfortunate wretch
shove that sends him over the imaginary
Inc, and he finds himself a prisoner under
he laws Of Texas. OF course whenever the
Mexican officials require similar favor the
angers are only too glad and willing to ex-
end 1t. And so extradition goes merrily on
Without troubling the state department to
my considerable extent.
This extraordinary force Of soldier-sheriffs
S distinctly remarkable for the absolute loyal.
the members bear each other. They have
AIKEN for their motto, God hates cowards.n
nd they live up to 1t. There is hardly a
member OF the force who has been ranger
or even single year that has not gone
trough experiences that other men would
rowd into lifetime Desperadoes, cattle
hieves, lpdians, and fence-cutters hardly
cave an idle day to company Of rangers
'uring the strikes on Jay Gould's southwest
rn system, it was due to their energy alone
hat passenger traffic was not wholly
topped. They are a distinctive class OF men.
ven among frontiersmen, and have In the
ighest degree all the virtues OF the rough,
lid southwestern life, with scarcely one of
IS vices.-New York Star.